Accra, May 25, GNA- Ghana must use its Golden Jubilee celebration as a platform to lead Africa to another phase of economic independence and seek reparation, Dr Kodjoe Sumney, Founder of Mission Africa said on Friday.

He said, it behoved Ghana, the first to attain independence in sub-Saharan, to champion the reparation campaign to demand compensation for both natural and human resources lost to colonial masters. Dr Sumney made the call at a National Prayer Conference held in Accra, to commemorate the African Union Day.

The Fourth Annual Prayer Conference, organised by Mission Africa, a Christian professional fellowship, in collaboration with the Parliament Christian Fellowship Conference, a Christian caucus in Parliament, was to also seek God's blessings and prosperity on the continent. Speaking on the theme: "Reparation, Pay it in full," Dr Sumney said the Biblical connotations of jubilee called for total liberation and recovery of lost possessions and therefore, Ghana was in a better position, more than any other country to lead the crusade. He said as Chairman of the AU, President John Agyekum Kufuor, together with other African leaders should put the call for reparation high on the agenda of proposals at the forthcoming Group of 8 (G8) Summit.

Dr Sumney noted that the continent had been subjected to over 1000 years of slavery by colonial masters, adding that 50 million out of the 150 million subjected to slave trade, died through passage. " We must demand for reparation now, because if countries like Japan and Vietnam had been successful, why should we as Africans not demand what is rightfully ours to restore our continent", he added.

African political leaders, Dr Sumney said, should also support its people to push for technological inventions, saying, "the time has come for Africans to also brain drain from developed countries".

The Founder implored religious leaders to pray for God's intervention in the energy crisis, saying, "if the crisis would stop, it starts with Christ".

Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes, ina statement read on his behalf, said the AU Day celebrations called for reflections on ways to achieve a united Africa for a massive economic take off. He said the lack of peace, security and stability retarded economic development in the continent and therefore the establishment of the Pan-African Parliament to address these issues was commendable. Mr. Sekyi Hughes noted that accountability and transparency within the political and economic systems was crucial to attain sustainable growth and economic empowerment for Africans.